ADA pushes nutrition therapy

Supermarket pharmacy operators last month received validation for the growing number of diabetes educators and dietary nutritionists walking their aisles. In the Oct. 9 issue of Diabetes Care, the American Diabetes Association recommended all people with diabetes make nutrition therapy a part of their treatment plan.

This position statement replaces the nutrition therapy recommendations for the management of adults with diabetes published in 2008. The 2013 statement provides a set of recommendations based on review of recent scientific evidence. It calls for all adults diagnosed with diabetes to eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods in appropriate portion sizes as part of an eating plan that takes into account individual preferences, culture, religious beliefs, traditions and metabolic goals. Since people eat food and not single nutrients — such as carbohydrates, protein and fat — the report includes a new section on eating patterns.

That’s much more complicated than a one-size-fits-all plan, which makes a trusted nutrition resource at the local supermarket all the more valuable.

“Just because you have been diagnosed with diabetes does not mean you can no longer enjoy the foods you love or your cultural traditions,” stated Alison Evert, coordinator of diabetes education programs for the University of Washington Medical Center, Diabetes Care Center. “Ideally, the person with diabetes should be referred to a registered dietitian or participate in a diabetes self-management education program soon after diagnosis.”

Creating a diabetes ecosystem

Creating a home destination center for diabetic patients stocked with products appropriate to their condition —not only including sugar tablets, gels and liquids, but also nutritional supplements, homeopathic products, skin creams and lotions, oral care solutions, pain relief products and hypoglycemic products — has gained in importance thanks to the price pressures associated with competitive bidding in the diabetes space.

These front-end products represent margin retention for those pharmacists still serving their diabetes patients on Medicare. “As expected, U.S. sales were impacted by the implementation of the CMS competitive bidding program for Medicare patients,” Brian Yoor, Abbott VP investor relations, told analysts last month during a conference call. “We project fourth-quarter diabetes care sales growth to be down low single-digits on an operational basis, reflecting the impact of CMS competitive bidding in the [United States] partially offset by strong growth internationally.”

Meanwhile, meal replacement bars and ready-to-drink shakes — both popular categories among people with diabetes — are experiencing significant growth. Sales of meal replacement bars were up 13.4% to $1.9 billion across total U.S. multi-outlets for the 52 weeks ended Sept. 8, according to IRI. Similarly, sales of RTD shakes were up 7.8% to $2.6 billion.

Earlier this year, Nipro Diagnostics broadened its diabetes portfolio of store-brand offerings with its acquisition of P.J. Noyes to help bridge the meter and insulin purchase across the backbench to the front-end. “What we’re creating is a diabetes ecosystem,” Scott Verner, Nipro president and CEO, told DSN. It empowers “our retail partners to have what they need, and support[ing] their patients is everything in a solution,” he said. “That’s why we call it an ecosystem, because you have blood-glucose meters and you have all the other products needed to surround that patient.”

EZ glucose monitoring from Bayer

WHIPPANY, N.J. — Bayer’s Contour Next EZ has captured $5.9 million in sales in a little more than one year on shelf, according to IRI. The system provides innovative technology for enhanced accuracy by combining a next-generation test strip with an algorithm, multipulse technology and a proprietary mediator.

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